A Girl’s Guide to the Gold Coast in Chicago

The Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago is such a beautiful area. If you don’t have time to visit it’s definitely worth taking a stroll through. But, if you have time and want to spend the day exploring this neighborhood, I’ve put together a guide of all my favorite things to see and do in the Gold Coast.

* The Gold Coast shopping and dining districts goes South to North from Chicago Ave to Division Street and West to East from State Street to Michigan Ave.

Morning

Start the morning at either the Starbucks (1003 N Rush St) or the Argo Tea Cafe (871 N Wabash Ave). The Starbuck’s is a Starbuck’s Reserve with two-levels. I enjoy having my coffee upstairs by the fire if it’s chilly or if the weather is nice on their mini outdoor balcony. You can order your coffee and they will bring it to you and they often have special drink creations that are not available downstairs. The Argo Tea Cafe is really cute and pretty in the summer. It’s a greenhouse in between Rush Street and Wabash Ave. They have an adorable outdoor garden where you can enjoy drinking your tea.

The Gold Coast is known for its high-end stores and boutiques so it’s fun to spend the morning strolling around streets shopping/window shopping at stores from Hermès to Kate Spade.

*Make sure to download my FREE Chicago Shopping Tour eBook filled with everything to see and do on Michigan Avenue and the Gold Coast neighborhood.

Lunch

One of my favorite places to go with my girlfriends to lunch is Freds at Barneys. During the summer it’s really nice to sit outside on their rooftop terrace. I highly recommend one of their salads. They are actually not too expensive and they are really big so you can easily split a salad with a friend. You can use opentable.com to make a reservation and request outside if you like. After lunch, take a peek at the Barneys gift shop and take a stroll around Barneys.

Afternoon

Head to the Shops at 900 N Michigan and spend the afternoon shopping at a mix of high-end and popular stores. I also enjoy going to Sur La Table because if you are friendly they will happily make you a Nespresso coffee for free for a little afternoon pick me up at their Nespresso boutique inside the store.

Afternoon Cocktails

I have a few suggestions for some great places for afternoon cocktails. If the weather is chilly or cold head into the Thompson Chicago to enjoy a cocktail in their cocktail lounge. I also really like Fig & Olive for a glass of wine and an appetizer, or you can head to Le Bar at the Sofitel Hotel for happy hour.

You might also like A Girl’s Guide to a Day on Michigan Ave

Dinner

For dinner, during the summer I really enjoy dining on the patio at Tavern on Rush for great food, cocktails, and great people watching. Another favorite of mine is Le Colonial. They also have a really nice patio and amazing lychee martinis. You can also dine at Lux Bar next door to Tavern on Rush or Hugo Frogs across the street. I highly recommend that you make reservations for dinner using opentable.com, all these places get very busy on the weekends and every night during the summer.

Download my guide so you can plan your girl’s day in the Gold Coast.

Free Download: Save a copy of this checklist I made:
A Girl’s Guide to the Gold Coast in Chicago